Folding table



Sept. 8, 1936. w. E. HARDY FOLDING TABLE 4 Filed Nov. 7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l [HHLIII PHHHHU W. lg/ENTOR fiy/ Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES FOLDING TABLE Wilbert E. Hardy, Grafton, Pa., assignor to The McKay Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., 2. corporation of Pennsylvania- Application November 7, 1935, Serial No. 48,684

3 Claims.

My invention relates to folding tables and has for its object the provision of a table structure of such form that the legs thereof can more readily be folded and unfolded than in the case of various structures heretofore employed, is rigid in use, and extremely compact in folded position.

One form which my invention may take is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is an inverted plan view; Fig. 2 is an elevational view, partially in section; Fig. 3 is an elevational View taken at right angles to the view of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view taken on the line VV of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 shows the manner in which one pair of legs is disengaged from the table top, and in partially folded position, and Fig. 7 shows the table structure in completely folded position.

The table top 9 may be of circular or other form and of any suitable material. A channel bar is bent to inverted U-form for the purpose of forming legs ID, the mid portion ll of the bar serving as a cross bar for connecting the upper ends of the legs ID. A brace bar I2 is welded 5 or otherwise secured to the legs Ill.

The other pair of legs 13 and M, are likewise of channel form and are pivotally connected at their upper ends to brackets 15 that are secured to the underside of the table. A brace bar 30 I6 is secured at its ends to the legs l3-l4.

At one side of the table, a pair of links I! are pivotally connected together at their mid portions, and at their upper ends are pivotally connected to the legs l0 and I4, as shown more 35 clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. A pair of links [8 are similarly connected to one of the legs l0 and the legs l3, at the other side of the table.

A rod 20 extends through the lower end of one of the links I1, and one of the links l8, its ends 40 projecting into the channels in the legs l0, while a rod 2| extends through the lower ends of the links I! and I8, and into the channel legs l3--l4.

A pair of recessed blocks 22 are secured to the underside of the table, in position to serve as 45 retaining lugs for the cross bar II when the table is set up.

In order to fold or knock down the table, the top 9 is lifted somewhat to raise the blocks 22 clear of the cross bar ll, whereupon the legs Ill 50 can be pushed as a unit toward the legs l3-l4, as indicated at Fig. 6. During this movement, the rods 20 and 2| will slide downwardly along the legs, to permit collapsing of the links l'l-l8. The leg structure can then be swung fiatwise 55 against the underside of the table top, to the position shown in Fig. '7, the brackets l5 being of sufficient dimension to permit the legs ID to lie behind the legs l3--l4.

The brace bars I2 and I6 serve not only to stiffen the legs to which they are connected, but 5 serve also as stop members to positively limit the upward movement of the lower ends of the links I! and I8, thus further adding to the rigidity of the structure.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A table structure comprising a top, a pair of channel bars bent to inverted U-form and each constituting a pair of table legs, means pivotally connecting the upper portion of one of the bars to the table top, a retaining element on 15 the table top, for holding the upper portion of the other bar against horizontal movement when the table top is resting thereon, a pair of links each pivotally connected at its upper end to a leg of one bar, and at its lower end to the ad- 20 jacent leg of the other bar, at one side of the table, and a second pair of links at the other side of the table, each pivotally connected at its upper end to a leg of one bar and at its lower end to the adjacent leg of the other bar, the lower 25 pivotal connections in each instance being slidable in the grooves of the legs, and the said pivotal connection to the table top being spaced from said top a distance sufficient to permit the legs to be folded into parallelism with the table top.

2. A table structure comprising a top, a pair of channel bars bent to inverted U-form and each constituting a pair of table legs, means pivotally connecting the upper portion of one of the bars to the table top, a retaining element on the table top, for holding the upper portion of the other bar against horizontal movement when the table top is resting thereon, a pair of links each pivotally connected at its upper end to a leg of one bar, and at its lower end to the adjacent leg of the other bar, at one side of the table, and a second pair of links at the other side of the table, each pivotally connected at its upper end to a leg of one bar and at its lower end to the adjacent leg of the other bar, the pivotal connections at corresponding ends of the links, in one horizontal plane, being slidable in the grooves of the legs, and the said pivotal connection to the table top being spaced from said top a distance sufficient to permit the legs to be folded into parallelism with the table top.

3. A table structure comprising a top, a pair of channel bars bent to inverted U-form and each constituting a pair of table legs, means pivotally connecting the upper portion of one of the bars to the table top, a retaining element on the table top, for holding the upper portion of the other bar against horizontal movement when the table top is resting thereon, a pair of links each pivotally connected at its upper end to a leg of one bar, and at its lower end to the adjacent leg of the other bar, at one side of the table, and a second pair of links at the other side of the table, each pivotally connected at its upper end to a leg of one bar and at its lower end to the adjacent leg of the other bar, the pivotal connections at corresponding ends of the links, in one horizontal plane, consisting of a pair of rods each having its ends slidably supported in the grooves of a pair of legs and extending through the adjacent link ends.

WILBERT E. HARDY. 

